Amnesty International condemns Jerusalem attack

Mar 7, 2008, 12:13 GMT

London - Amnesty International Friday condemned the killing of eight Israeli civilians in a shooting attack in Jerusalem but warned against retaliatory action.

'We absolutely condemn this deliberate attack on Israeli civilians as a gross abuse of international humanitarian law,' said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Amnesty demanded that all armed groups immediately ceased the 'targeting of civilians,' while calling on Israel to refrain from carrying out attacks that would endanger Palestinian civilians in response to these killings.

'The lives of Palestinian civilians, who bear no responsibility for yesterday's attack in Jerusalem, should not be put in jeopardy as a result, and the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories should not be subjected to further collective punishment by Israeli forces,' said Smart.

'The Israeli authorities must adhere to international humanitarian law and human rights standards in any action they take in response to last night's attack, even though that attack demonstrated a disregard for the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.'

'Abuses by one side, no matter how serious, cannot ever justify abuses by the other side,' said Smart.